Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, incessantly linked with a move away from the club, plans to hit the ground running if/when Project Restart comes to fruition. The Frenchman gave an interview to United’s official website, and he said that he’s fully fit and raring to go, once play resumes.
Limited to just eight appearances in total this season due to chronic foot injuries, no team will be willing to splash the cash on him until he re-establishes what he can do. Pogba’s last appearance came on Boxing Day and his last start in September, so Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan and anyone else who might be interested need to see that he’s himself again in order to make a move for him.
The Frenchman said he’s been busy while in lockdown, and he’s worked hard to stay fit, despite not having access to the Carrington Training Ground or a regular fitness center.
“I have a little home gym in my house,” Pogba said. “I can do some training, some running, some bike, go outside and do some things with the ball. I am just keeping busy and keeping healthy.”
“We have got to stay motivated, there is no other choice. It is a period and we don’t know until when it will be like this, but I still have goals in my head and one day hopefully this (pandemic) will stop.”
“And then we have to get back on the pitch, so we have to be ready.”
“For myself, I have been out for a long time as well, so for me I just want to come back playing football.”
There is talk of the Premier League returning to action around June 13, with more training activities ramping up in the coming weeks. This plan is of course contingent on advice from public health officials and safety concerns.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for Chicago Tribune.com, on Twitter and his cat on Instagram.
